Door for elevator-wells



G. W. ARCHER. DOOR FOR ELEVATOR WELLS.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 7, 1896.

J2 o al 20 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

.lEORGE IV. ARCHER, OF ROCHESTER, NEIV YORK.

DOOR FOR ELEVATOR-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,634, dated April '7, 1896.

Application filed January 11,1896. Serial No. 575,058. No model.)

T (all whom, it nttoy concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. ARCHER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Doors for Elevator-Wells; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the reference letters and numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved means for operatingthe doors leading into elevatorshafts, whereby the operator on the car may cause the automatic opening and closing of the doors as the car approaches and leaves the floors; and it consists in certain improvements, all as will be hereinafter fully described, and the novel features pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aperspective view of the interior of an elevator well or shaft, showing a portion of the car and the door-operating devices; Fig. 2, a vertical sectional view showing the valve controlling the operation of the door; Fig. 8, a front view of the valve-actuating device located on the car; Fig. 4, a sectional view of the door-actuating piston and cylinder. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the preferred means for supplying air or fluid to the door-controlling devices.

Similar reference letters and numerals in the several figures indicate similar parts.

The general idea of my present apparatus is to cause the opening and closing of the doors leading into the elevator-shaft by means of fluid, preferably air under pressure, the admission and exhaust of the fluid to the act uating-cylinder being caused directly by the movement of the car and indirectly by the operator on the car.

In the drawings I have shown a portion of the elevator shaft or well and have indicated but one door; but it will be understood that the door at each floor or station is constructed and arranged substantially like the one shown.

1 indicates the floor of the elevator-car, and 2 a pipe or main extending the length of the well and normally containing air or .other fluid under pressure, which pressure may be supplied by means of a pump operated in any suitable manner from the operating parts of the elevator, but preferably by means of a small pump actuated by one of the sheaves or rollers over which the lifting-rope of the car passes, as in Fig. 5. The doors 3, leading into the well from the floors, are supported upon suitable hangers-such as at, and each has connected to it a piston-rod 5, having a piston-head 6 thereon operating in a cylinder 7, arranged on the outside of the 'well, or otherwise, as shown in Fig. 1.

8 and 9 indicate pipes connected to the outer and inner ends of the cylinder 7 and leading to suitable casings 10 and 11, respectively, both of which are connected by pipes 12 with the main pipe 1. Operating in the casings 10 and 11, which are preferably arranged in line, is a sliding rod or valve-stem 13, having transverse passages or ports 14 and 15 near its ends adapted to insure communication at certain times between the pipe 8 and the exhaust-port 16 and between the pipe 9 and the exhaust-port 17, the relative arrangement being such that when the "alve is moved to the position shown in Fig. 2 fluid is admitted from the main, through the pipe 9, to the cylinder 7, operating the piston and opening the door, the fluid on the opposite side of the piston being exhausted through the port 16, as will be understood, and when the valve is moved in the opposite direction the fluid will be admitted to the other side of the piston and the exhaust from the pipe 9 will be permit-ted through the port 17. Mounted upon the stem 13, between the casings 10 and 11,

is a block 10, which has a bearing on the supporting-plate 20, and is also provided with an arm extending into the shaft or well and serves as the means for actuating the valve.

Arranged upon the platform of the elevatorcar is a frame or casting 21, provided with a groove or channel on the front side of the well, the casting 21 and the arm on the block 10 being so relatively arranged that one of the sides of the channel forms a substantially straight passage or guide, the other side of the passage or channel in the frame 21 being formed by the straight side of a switch or block 22, having beveled ends and normally fitting in a recess at one side of the channel 21, as shown in Fig. 3, and this block is connected to a sliding bar 2i, to which is pivoted one arm of a bell-crank lever 25, pivoted at 26 and having a treadle 27.

28 indicates a spring operating upon the arm, or, if desired, upon the slide 2i, to keep the block 22 in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3. Normally the controllin g-valve is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the door is maintained closed by pressure on the outer end of the piston 6, and the arm on the block 19 passes through the vertical channel in the frame 21 as the car is raised and lowered; but when the operator desires to stop at any floor and cause the door to open he presses upon the treadle 27, throwing the block 22 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thereby providing a curved channel for the arm 19 connected to the valve, the movement of the car either way throwing the valve to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and admitting fluid to open the door, the fluid from the rear side of the piston being exhausted through the port 10. This will insure the door being held open as long as the car remains at the floor, the valve being positively held by means of the switch-block and the curved side of the channel in the frame, and when the car leaves the floor said valve will be positively operated in the opposite direction, admitting fluid to close the door and keep it closed. This arrangement is simple and can be applied to the door of the shafts of elevators now in operation without great expense, and l find that the amount of pressure required for actuating the doors is very slight and can be readily supplied to the main by means of a small air-pump actuated from any of the operating parts of the elevator; but I prefer, as stated, to cause its operation by means of one of the sheaves over which the lifting cable or cables pass, preferably at the top of the shaft or well, as shown in Fig. 5, a indicating the sheave, b the lifting-cable passing over it, and d a small pump, the piston of which is actuated by the piston-rod e and a crank f on the axle of the sheave.

\Vhile I prefer to employ precisely the arrangement shown I do not desire to be confined to exactly this construction of parts, as

modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

, I claim as my invention- J 1. The combination with a door leading into an elevator-well, a cylinder, an actuating-piston connected to the door, a valve for admitting fluid under pressure to opposite sides of the piston alternately, and an actuating projection connected to the valve, of an elevator-car having a vertical way thereon for the valve projection, and a movable switch-block for cooperating with the valve projection, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a door leading into an elevator-well, a cylinder, an actuating-piston connected to the door, a valve for admitting fluid under pressure to opposite sides of the piston alternately, and an actu-. ating projection connected to the valve, of an elevator-car having a vertical way thereon for the valve projection, a switch-block having beveled ends and normally retracted, and a foot-lever for projecting said block across the way, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the frame 21 adapted for attachment to an elevator-car having the way therein with one curved side, of the switch-block, the guide-bar 24:, the spring and the treadle-lever connected to the bar, substantially as described.

4. The combination with the main or pipe containing fluid under pressure, two valvecasings having exhaust-passages, pipes leading from the main to each casing, a cylinder, an operating-piston therein, an elevator-door connected to the piston, pipes leading from opposite ends of the cylinder to the valvecasings, two valves connected for simultaneous operation, and an actuating projection for them, of an elevator-car having a way thereon for the valve-actuating projection, and a switchblo0k having a straight and a curved side, and means for actuating it, substantially as described.

GEO. XV. ARCHER. Vitnesses:

F. F. CHURCH, G. XV. RICH. 

